US, UK, Australia ease export restrictions

The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom have taken a significant step in their defence collaboration by updating their arms-sharing regulations.

The United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom have introduced new regulations to streamline arms sharing, marking a significant advancement in their defence collaboration, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

The updated rules eliminate export restrictions between these three countries, easing the process of sharing military equipment.

Previously, Australia required a lengthy and complex licensing process from the US State Department before acquiring American weapons. The new regulations dismantle much of this bureaucratic barrier. Specifically, the US State Department will issue an “interim final rule” exempting Australia and the UK from licensing requirements for 80 per cent of America’s commercial defence sales.

“This change will facilitate billions in secure defense trade among AUKUS nations,” said a State Department official. The UK anticipates these exemptions will apply to $643 million of its annual defense exports, while Australia will remove the need for 900 permits for $5 billion worth of goods sent to the US and UK.

The new rule will come into effect on September 1 and will be subject to a 90-day public comment period. However, certain weapons, including those restricted by US Congress or international treaties, such as missile technology and chemical weapons, will remain excluded from these new regulations.

The newly updated arms-sharing regulations between the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom are set to bolster the AUKUS defence partnership, even as certain items remain restricted. While some equipment related to the AUKUS pact, including nuclear-powered submarines and advanced technologies like drones and hypersonics, is not covered by the new exemptions, the changes mark a significant step forward.

Richard Marles, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister, highlighted the importance of these updates in enabling the AUKUS agreement. “This is foundational for AUKUS, supporting both the submarine initiative and the advanced technology pillar,” Marles told Defence News.

Australia and the UK will still need licenses to access items on the “excluded technologies list” (ETL), but the new regulations promise to expedite these applications. Despite these limitations, the countries view the update as a major achievement.

“This progress is remarkable, given that we’ve been working towards this for decades,” Marles noted during his visit to Washington, where he met with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. The two nations are also set to sign a pact by December to co-develop munitions. Marles emphasised that while there’s more work to be done, “the big step has been taken.”